Canine Respiratory Disease Advisory
The Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) has recently received multiple reports from veterinary practitioners across the country regarding increased incidence of canine respiratory disease of unknown etiology resulting in pneumonia. Many affected dogs have histories of visiting canine daycare centers, boarding facilities, and dog parks. The reported cases have not responded to normal treatment protocols and experienced a longer, more severe disease course than typical for canine infectious respiratory disease complex.
Practitioners presented with similar cases are encouraged to perform diagnostic testing immediately, during the acute phase of disease (ideally during the first week of clinical disease) and prior to initiating treatment. Delaying diagnostics may result in negative test results, as detection of some viruses may be inhibited by a rapid immune response, and antibiotic treatment may impede bacterial growth and detection. The AHDC Veterinary Support Services (VSS) team is available for diagnostic consultation on these cases and can arrange to have appropriate transport media or specimen collection containers overnighted when necessary. Please call (607) 253-3900 or email vetsupport@cornell.edu to reach a VSS veterinarian.
Canine Respiratory Diagnostic Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Anaerobic Bacterial Culture | ANAER |
|
Canine Respiratory Panel *Panel consists of multiple PCR assays:
| CRPNL |
|
| Fecal Flotation | FLOAT |
|
| Fungal Culture | FUNGCM |
|
| Fungal Serology Panel | FUNGSER |
|
| Histopathology | HISTO |
|
| Mycoplasma Culture |
|
|
| Small Animal Hemogram | SA CBC |
|
| Tracheal Wash Cytology | TWE |
|